Ottobock Crew Sets Up in London

There will be a team of 80 prosthetists, orthotists and wheelchair technicians from the IPC's worldwide partner helping 4,200 athletes at the Paralympic Games. 21 Aug 2012
Imagen
A picture of man fixing up a wheelchair

The Ottobock technical service team provided help to the 4,200 athletes competing at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

ⒸOttobock

Ottobock has been a partner to the Paralympic Games providing technical service since the Seoul 1988 Paralympic Games, and since then has completed approximately 10,000 repairs for athletes during competition.

The IPC's worldwide partner, Ottobock Healthcare, the official wheelchair, prosthetic and orthotic technical service provider for the London 2012 Paralympic Gamess, began setting up workshops in the Paralympic Villages and nine competition venues on Monday (20 August), ready to begin repair and maintenance services when athletes arrive ahead of the opening of the Games.

In just two days, over 13 tons of equipment and 15,000 spare parts will be set up ready for the workshops to open on Wednesday.

The workshops will be staffed by an international team of 80 prosthetists, orthotists and wheelchair technicians, experts in the equipment used by Paralympic athletes in competition. The team will also include 12 welders responsible for repairing damage to wheelchair frames common in the hard-hitting Wheelchair Rugby and Basketball competitions.

On arrival in the Paralympic Village, final preparations for many Paralympians is expected to include a visit to the Ottobock workshop to ensure their equipment is ready for competition.

Like the services provided by mechanics in motor racing, Ottobock is responsible for the service and maintenance of equipment relied on by Paralympians and getting them back into the competition as fast as possible.

Ottobock technicians will be ready next to the field of play at the Velodrome, North Greenwich Arena, Basketball Arena, Royal Artillery Barracks, Greenwich Park, ExCeL, Eton Manor and Brands Hatch. There will also be an Ottobock workshop in the Olympic Stadium where the team will service a diverse range of equipment including the high-tech chairs used in wheelchair racing and the running blades used by the world’s fastest Paralympic sprinters.

An additional mobile workshop will support the marathon and hand cycling road race.

Repairs may range from simple tyre punctures to complex prosthetic knee repairs – all requiring specialist knowledge and speed.

The team of technicians will be required to work creatively to solve equipment problems across all Paralympic sports.

Ottobock has been a partner to the Paralympic Games providing technical service since the Seoul 1988 Paralympic Games, and since then has completed approximately 10,000 repairs for athletes during competition.

“Ottobock is very proud of our history as technical service provider for the Paralympic Games,” said professor Hans Georg Nader, President and CEO of Ottobock. “We have been a Partner since the Seoul 1988 Paralympic Games. The London 2012 Paralympic Games will be the 12th where we have had the honour of supporting all competing Paralympians and providing them with the confidence that their technical needs will be understood and expertly repaired, so that they can concentrate on performance and competition."

The Ottobock technical service team for the London 2012 Paralympic Games will include 15 members from Great Britain working alongside colleagues from Australia, Belgium, Japan, Germany, China, Canada, USA, Spain, France, Russia, Portugal, Mexico, Switzerland, Brazil, Netherland, Singapore, Ireland and Argentina.

They have been selected for their expertise in the complete range of adaptive equipment, products and brands used by Paralympic athletes and their services are available to all 4,200 competing athletes.

“Ottobock has spent many years preparing an expert team to provide technical services for athletes at the London 2012 Paralympic Games,” said Ken Hurst, Technical Director of the Ottobock London 2012 Leadership Team.

“Our 80-strong team is ready for what will no doubt be a busy, but very rewarding experience. The athleticism of Paralympic athletes puts great pressure on the equipment they use to compete. As a result we expecting them to come to us with a wide range of requirements; we are prepared to deal with them with the speed and best quality service that Ottobock is renowned for around the world.”